Kirby Smart has been the highest paid head coach in all of college football for a few years now. After all the National Championships and SEC titles that was more than deserved, especially after Nick Saban retired.
But Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti just passed Smart as the highest paid head coach in college football. While that ultimately may not matter all that much, it could mean that Smart is due for a pay raise very soon.
NEWS: Curt Cignetti and Indiana have agreed to a new contract, averaging $13.2M per year, @indystar reports🤑
— On3 (@On3) February 20, 2026
Cignetti's contract still runs through 2033. https://t.co/uGFUHLRRhw pic.twitter.com/X06ry4gk7d
Curt Cignetti may have just earned Kirby Smart a raise
Cignetti just signed a brand new contract that averages $13.2 million annually. This is just a little bit more than Smart who makes $13 million a year. A difference of $200 thousand is basically nothing at this level, but the title of being the highest paid head coach means something. That title means the Georgia views Smart as the best coach in college football, so they may have no choice but to give him a pay raise.
Back in 2022 Smart took the title of the highest paid head coach away from Nick Saban. So what did Alabama do? They gave Saban a raise to once again make him the highest paid head coach in college football. The Crimson Tide did that after just one month of Smart holding that title, so Georgia might look to do the same thing now.
Cignetti is a great coach, there is no denying that. What he did at Indiana this year will eventually be turned into a Hollywood movie. But was it enough for him to deserve to be paid more than Smart? Not a chance.
Cignetti has one National Championship to his name and just one Big Ten title. Smart on the other hand has won the SEC four times and has two national titles to his name. Their resumes still aren't even comparable.
So while Cignetti deserves to be in the same conversation as Smart, he has not done enough to pass him yet.